Redding, CA, doesn’t automatically come to mind when you think of great art, but this Shasta County community’s creative scene is one every art lover needs to check out. It is home to Redding Cultural District, which features over 70 public art sites and 50 eateries and bars. Plus, the area is home to attractions like Old City Hall, which includes an art gallery and performance space, and performance venues, like Redding Civic Auditorium, Cascade Theatre, Axiom Repertory Theatre and Riverfront Playhouse. Art can also be experienced at Turtle Bay Exploration Park’s arboretum, museum and sculpture park, Redding Rodeo art shows and the annual Kool April Nites event, which celebrates the art of classic cars.

In addition to creating a more vibrant, tightknit community, Redding, CA’s artistic offerings play another key role – they drive the local economy forward. And several organizations and individuals are hard at work to ensure everything runs smoothly. 

Enhancing the Community

One example is Viva Downtown Redding, whose mission is to enhance cultural, economic and social development in downtown Redding.

“As a main street organization, we come up with transformation strategies to enhance the community. It seemed like an obvious one for us and for our stakeholders to pick a strategy that involves arts and entertainment,” says John Truitt, the organization’s executive director.

Placing priority on arts and entertainment has resulted in “astonishing” changes for downtown Redding, according to Truitt.

“The arts are a good way to get people together – to start talking with one another, to meet with each other, to understand and learn one another’s values,” he says.

Other noticeable changes can be seen throughout the region. For example, Truitt shares that the community has added new galleries and murals over the past few years, plus it has put in wider sidewalks, which people can use to set up pop-up booths, and small parks and stages, which people can use as performance space.

“We have an emerging music and theater scene, and we’re a community that embraces its local talent, appreciates our local talent and ensures our local artists are paid for their work,” Truitt says.

Compensating Artists in Redding, CA

Ensuring artists are paid for their work is key, especially when it comes to the role the arts play in economic development.

“Economic remuneration is one way to make sure that your community recognizes that art is an important part of the economic development of a community – ensuring artists are getting paid,” Truitt says.

While this isn’t the case everywhere, artists and organizations in Redding, CA, are working hard to make it the norm.

Local artist Karlo Henry, for example, started a project in 2020 called THE ART HUNGER, which he says focuses on creating community through art and creating ways artists can generate income to continue producing art.

“One of the things that I’m very focused on is that art has value, and the community is better because of art, and artists deserve to be paid,” Henry says. “Our work is work. That money stays in our community creating a stronger community.”

Expanding on this theme is Nancy Hill, executive director of Shasta County Arts Council and Axiom Repertory Theatre.

“We recently received two large grants within our organizations that have put artists to work,” Hill says. “The Upstate Creative Corps grant, obtained by Viva Downtown Redding, put over 30 artists to work for a year on a variety of creative projects, including murals, concerts, spoken word events, media projects and other arts activities. The cultural district also received a large grant that has provided opportunities for individual artists and arts and cultural groups to hold events and create art for financial compensation. Local theaters hire independent contractors to support the theaters by designing and building sets and costumes and designing lighting and sound for various events.”

Together Is Better

A lot of work, including that of many partnerships, has gone into creating Redding, CA’s strong arts scene and economy.
For example, Hill shares that Redding Cultural District has multiple partners, such as local and state government, nonprofits and a Main Street organization.

“We work very closely with these groups to reach out, publicize and assess our impact on tourism through assessment and surveys,” Hill says. “We strongly believe that arts and culture drive people to our community in a variety of ways. The increase in arts and cultural activity after COVID opened many opportunities for locals and tourists alike to participate in plays, concerts, musicals and art gallery openings. There are street fairs, BIPOC and LGBTQ events, and many other opportunities.”

And all these artistic offerings put money back into the local economy.

“Attendance to theater and concerts, participation in street fairs and festivals, and artwork purchased from local galleries boost the local economy,” Hill says. “Support for arts camps for children, visual and performing arts classes for adults as well as workshops and donations for different arts organizations help, as well.”

This article was sponsored by the Shasta Economic Development Corporation.